Braaq

Braaq - an affectionate nickname from his schooldays - though now an acclaimed artist, has never forgotten his Liverpudlain roots.
Braaq as the fourth child in a family of 12 children recalls the hand me-downs worn out by the time they reached him. He appears in all his paintings as a small urchin in stripy jersey and wellies.
Braaq’s work is inspired by his family and incidents from his childhood. The name of his mother Agnes often appears in the graffiti on the walls; the inspiration for the unique, often mourous, sometimes irreverent titles are attributable to his father Dennis and the sharp eyed will notice the name ‘Anne’ after his signature - Braaq’s own memorial to his younger sister who died aged 21.
His paintings team with life. The figures, though stylized, have an an animation, mischievousness and vivacity. As one would expect coming from a rumbustious Catholic family, churches, substantial yet ethereal, figure in many of his works.
Braaq launched in to his proffessional career at the age of 23 following unprecedented worldwide media coverage of his anonymous murals on the walls of a house in Harrogate. The identity of the ‘phantom painter’remained a mystery for five weeks before being umasked by a local journalist. Braaq has dedicated his life to his art. The Times declared him one of the six most sucessful artists in England following his first exhibition. Since then, his work has been shown all over the world.